


Gathered Round a Tree

by misura



Category: Sneakers (1992)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 18:28:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1097230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Christmas is just a big capitalist conspiracy,” Mother said. “Are you or have you been experiencing any sickness, dizziness, headaches or other indications that you have been exposed to radio-active material?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gathered Round a Tree

**Author's Note:**

  * For [loveparade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveparade/gifts).



> I spotted your request, went 'yay, Sneakers!' and voilá, fic happened.
> 
> blame it on the magic of Yuletide; it feels ages since I've seen this movie, but I still love it a lot.

“Our trip to Europe was very nice, thank you,” Crease said, helping himself to a quite generous amount of snacks, which Martin took to mean the food hadn't been as nice - or possibly it had just been very European, and Crease too American.

“You know, Tahiti's still not in Europe,” Liz said, and Mother asked, “Did you check your luggage for contraband?”

“I think the nice Customs Officer did that for me at the airport,” Crease said, and Martin winced a little, because that was practically like giving Mother a newspaper and telling him that since something was written up in there, with a picture and everything, it had to be true.

“They were _nice_ to you? Dear God.” Mother looked suitably appalled.

“Well, I'm sure they got whatever they wanted,” Martin said. To whit: a proper look at Crease's very proper luggage, but no need to put it like that. “Did you get to do any Christmas shopping?”

“Christmas is just a big capitalist conspiracy,” Mother said. “Are you or have you been experiencing any sickness, dizziness, headaches or other indications that you have been exposed to radio-active material?”

“They celebrate Christmas in Russia, too,” Liz said, and Mother said, “That's what they want you to think, sure,” while Crease looked like he wasn't sure whether he wanted to burst out laughing or crying. (He did look fairly close to an outburst of _some_ kind, though, which wasn't good.)

“Crease is going to turn into Spiderman?” Carl asked, returning from the kitchen with more snacks.

“The Hulk, more likely,” Martin said, winking.

“The Hulk was gamma radiation,” Whistler said. “Spiderman got bitten by a spider. A radio-active one,” and Carl said, “Cool,” and went to sit in a corner with his snacks.

“I'm fine,” Crease said. “My family's fine. I sent you guys a postcard.”

“If Christmas is a global conspiracy, what's Santa?” Liz asked, and Martin made a mental note to check the eggnog and have words with whomever had put something a little too strong in there, as nobody sober would be egging Mother on like that.

“For the record,” Martin said, “there was no coded message on there, was there?”

“A symbol,” Mother said, and Liz asked, “Of what?” and Mother said, “But his elves are really aliens wearing suits to look harmless,” which wasn't answering the question, although Martin could see how it might give rise to a few new ones.

“Why would I write a coded message on a postcard?” Crease asked.

“No reason,” Martin said, shrugging in a way he hoped implied that nobody, especially not Mother, had stayed up three nights in a row trying to crack the code.

“How do you know they don't just look like that on their own?” Liz asked, and Mother replied, “Have you ever seen a zipper?” and Liz said, “No.”

“That's how I know,” Mother said, leaning back with the expression of a man whose point has been proven beyond all doubt. “The cover-up's just too good.”

“That makes no sense,” Liz said, and Martin wondered where that line had been half a minute ago, when the subject of Christmas had first been broached.

“I did miss you guys,” Crease said. “Is that weird?”

“Not if you look at it relatively,” Martin said, and rose to get some of that eggnog for himself.


End file.
